The dizzying turnover of coaches

Published: Wednesday, May 1, 2013 at 12:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, April 30, 2013 at 11:42 p.m.

It seemed like a big deal three years ago when two schools — Lexington and Ledford — had head football coaching vacancies. But considering what has taken place in the last few month makes that seem mild.

When high school practice starts for the 2013 season, five of the county's eight high schools will have new coaches. That includes Bryan Lingerfelt, who has been around for a long time but is moving from East Davidson to West Davidson.

New coaches often mean new systems — and perhaps new outlooks.

The question is whether Lingerfelt will install his Air Lingerfelt bombs-away passing attack at West. That would be in contrast to the run-first philosophy of outgoing coach and incoming athletic director Dale Barnes. Lingerfelt is a recent convert to throwing the ball and he did it last year at East based on the players he had. It's no surprise he ended up at West. Lingerfelt lives in the community and rumors of him replacing Barnes had been circulating for months. It seemed like a natural fit, especially considering that Lingerfelt will be eventually be coaching his sons.

Chad Tedder, no stranger to the sports scene in Davidson County, is the new coach at Central Davidson, having replaced Brad Morton. Tedder, formerly the wrestling coach at West Davidson, was already on the Central staff after having been the head coach at East Rowan for one season. So the transition figured to be smooth as the Spartans get ready to play 3-A football in the Mid-Piedmont Conference.

Lexington still has a vacancy after the abrupt departure of Kwayu Graham, who lasted one season. Graham spent two seasons as defensive coordinator under Joe Gaddis and was promoted when Gaddis returned to Tennessee. Lexington Principal Travis Taylor said the school received a lot of applications, which is not at all surprising. There is always an abundant amount of talent at Lexington. It's going to take a while to sift through all those applications. Lexington should end up with a top quality coach, one they hope will be a keeper.

Vance Hanner, a former East Davidson player, was a natural to replace Lingerfelt after serving on his staff. That should be an easy transition since the East players all know Hanner. It's a solid choice by East Principal Billy Hunt since Hanner will probably be the coach for a long time.

South Davidson reached out all the way to Scotland County to hire Joe Cullen to hopefully turn around a program that has struggled for quite a while. Cullen helped coach quarterbacks for a Scotland County team that was prolific on offense. Facilities aren't an issue at South, which has among the best of any 1-A school. Numbers have been the problem. But Cullen's enthusiasm should translate into greater participation.

It's rare to have that many new coaches in the most high-profile prep sport and probably won't happen again any time soon.

Mike Duprez can be reached at 249-3981, ext. 218 or mike.duprez@the-dispatch.com.

<p>It seemed like a big deal three years ago when two schools — Lexington and Ledford — had head football coaching vacancies. But considering what has taken place in the last few month makes that seem mild.</p><p>When high school practice starts for the 2013 season, five of the county's eight high schools will have new coaches. That includes Bryan Lingerfelt, who has been around for a long time but is moving from East Davidson to West Davidson.</p><p>New coaches often mean new systems — and perhaps new outlooks.</p><p>The question is whether Lingerfelt will install his Air Lingerfelt bombs-away passing attack at West. That would be in contrast to the run-first philosophy of outgoing coach and incoming athletic director Dale Barnes. Lingerfelt is a recent convert to throwing the ball and he did it last year at East based on the players he had. It's no surprise he ended up at West. Lingerfelt lives in the community and rumors of him replacing Barnes had been circulating for months. It seemed like a natural fit, especially considering that Lingerfelt will be eventually be coaching his sons.</p><p>Chad Tedder, no stranger to the sports scene in Davidson County, is the new coach at Central Davidson, having replaced Brad Morton. Tedder, formerly the wrestling coach at West Davidson, was already on the Central staff after having been the head coach at East Rowan for one season. So the transition figured to be smooth as the Spartans get ready to play 3-A football in the Mid-Piedmont Conference. </p><p>Lexington still has a vacancy after the abrupt departure of Kwayu Graham, who lasted one season. Graham spent two seasons as defensive coordinator under Joe Gaddis and was promoted when Gaddis returned to Tennessee. Lexington Principal Travis Taylor said the school received a lot of applications, which is not at all surprising. There is always an abundant amount of talent at Lexington. It's going to take a while to sift through all those applications. Lexington should end up with a top quality coach, one they hope will be a keeper.</p><p>Vance Hanner, a former East Davidson player, was a natural to replace Lingerfelt after serving on his staff. That should be an easy transition since the East players all know Hanner. It's a solid choice by East Principal Billy Hunt since Hanner will probably be the coach for a long time.</p><p>South Davidson reached out all the way to Scotland County to hire Joe Cullen to hopefully turn around a program that has struggled for quite a while. Cullen helped coach quarterbacks for a Scotland County team that was prolific on offense. Facilities aren't an issue at South, which has among the best of any 1-A school. Numbers have been the problem. But Cullen's enthusiasm should translate into greater participation.</p><p>It's rare to have that many new coaches in the most high-profile prep sport and probably won't happen again any time soon.</p><p>Mike Duprez can be reached at 249-3981, ext. 218 or mike.duprez@the-dispatch.com.</p>